Summary
Issue
The “Test Endpoint” API, part of the functionality for ensuring a project Webhook is accessible and functional, is vulnerable to a limited SSRF attack. A malicious user that is also a project administrator can use this API for internal port scanning.
Known Attack Vectors
Successful exploitation of this issue will lead to bad actors identifying open TCP ports on any network that is accessible by the Harbor core services
Workarounds
Since only project administrators (the user that created the project) are allowed to test the webhook endpoints configured in Harbor, a Harbor system administrator can control who is a project admin. In addition, Harbor system administrators can enforce a setting where only an administrator is allowed to create new projects instead of the default Everyone. This further restricts who can be a project administrator in Harbor.
For more information
If you have any questions or comments about this advisory, contact [email protected]
View our security policy at https://github.com/goharbor/harbor/security/policy
https://nvd.nist.gov/vuln/detail/CVE-2020-13788
https://www.soluble.ai/blog/harbor-ssrf-cve-2020-13788
Impact
Matt Hamilton from Soluble has discovered a limited Server-Side Request Forgery (SSRF) that allowed Harbor project owners to scan the TCP ports of hosts on the Harbor server's internal network.
The vulnerability was immediately fixed by the Harbor team.
Untrusted input controls the target URL of a server-initiated request, which may reach internal services not otherwise accessible from outside. Typical impact: access to internal metadata services, internal APIs, or cloud credentials.
CVE-2020-13788 has a CVSS score of 4.0 (Low). The vector is network-reachable, high privileges required, and no user interaction. A CVSS score reflects the worst-case severity of the vulnerability, not your specific exposure. Whether this affects your application depends on whether the vulnerable code is present and reachable in your environment. A fixed version is available (2.0.1); upgrading removes the vulnerable code path.
Affected versions
Security releases
Kodem intelligence
Severity tells you how bad this could be in the worst case. It does not tell you whether you are exposed. Exploitability and impact are functions of runtime truth: whether the vulnerable code is present, reachable, and actually executes in your application. A vulnerable package can sit in your dependency tree and never run.
Kodem, an Intelligent Application Security platform, uses runtime intelligence to reveal which vulnerabilities actually execute in production, so teams prioritize the ones that genuinely matter. Kodem's runtime-powered SCA identifies whether this CVE is reachable in your applications.
Remediation advice
If your product uses the affected releases of Harbor, update to version 2.0.1 to patch this issue immediately.
Frequently Asked Questions
- What is CVE-2020-13788? CVE-2020-13788 is a low-severity server-side request forgery (SSRF) vulnerability in github.com/goharbor/harbor (go), affecting versions >= 1.8.0, < 2.0.1. It is fixed in 2.0.1. Untrusted input controls the target URL of a server-initiated request, which may reach internal services not otherwise accessible from outside.
- How severe is CVE-2020-13788? CVE-2020-13788 has a CVSS score of 4.0 (Low). This score reflects the worst-case severity of the vulnerability, not your specific exposure. Whether it represents real risk in your environment depends on whether the vulnerable code is present and reachable.
- Which versions of github.com/goharbor/harbor are affected by CVE-2020-13788? github.com/goharbor/harbor (go) versions >= 1.8.0, < 2.0.1 is affected.
- Is there a fix for CVE-2020-13788? Yes. CVE-2020-13788 is fixed in 2.0.1. Upgrade to this version or later.
- Is CVE-2020-13788 exploitable, and should I be worried? Whether CVE-2020-13788 is exploitable in your environment depends on whether the vulnerable code is present and reachable. A CVSS score is a worst-case rating; it does not account for your specific deployment, configuration, or usage patterns. Kodem, an Intelligent Application Security platform, uses runtime intelligence to show which vulnerabilities actually execute in production, so you can focus on the ones that represent real risk. Get a demo
- What actually determines whether CVE-2020-13788 is exploitable, and how bad it is? Exploitability and impact are not fixed properties of a CVE. They depend on runtime truth: whether the vulnerable code is present, reachable, and actually executes in your application. A high CVSS score on a dependency that never runs is not the same as real risk. Kodem, an Intelligent Application Security platform, uses runtime intelligence to reveal which vulnerabilities actually execute in production, so teams prioritize the ones that genuinely matter.
- How do I fix CVE-2020-13788? Upgrade
github.com/goharbor/harborto 2.0.1 or later.